1) Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to a process to electronically sort chicken feet into the category of either edible or inedible. More particularly, the invention utilizes electronic tracking sensors to maintain identity between all processed chickens and their respective feet.
2) Description of Prior Art
While the prior art includes methods and apparatus for performing various poultry processing operations, insofar as the applicants are aware there is no known method that utilizes an electronic tracking system to maintain identity between all processed chickens and their respective feet.
The demand for poultry, and especially chicken feet as a specialty food item, particularly in the Orient, is relatively great. Approximately three hundred tons per month are currently being exported from the United States. However, the supply of poultry feet is limited and the cost is kept relatively high because of the lack of a fully automatic method and apparatus for processing such poultry parts into edible and inedible parts. Conventional practice calls for the poultry feet be sorted into edible and inedible when an inspector, from the USDA or plant quality facility, determines that the chicken is edible or inedible. However, the labor required to manually remove the feet from the conveyor lines subsequent to the inspector's review of the chicken makes the cost of poultry process of the manual method unattractive.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have a method to electronically sort the feet into the category of edible and inedible when the chicken is inspected and determined to be either edible or inedible. The invention thus provides for the processing of poultry in an automatic, dependable and economical fashion so as to permit the sale of such chicken parts at a commercially acceptable price and which has particular utility in the processing of poultry feet.